One of EKU’s best-known personalities, Dr. Hayward “Skip” Daugherty, was honored at the Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet in November. He was presented with the Wallace G. Maffett Award, the highest distinction given by the Chamber.
After earning a bachelor’s in physical education and master’s in education from Eastern Kentucky University, Dr. Daugherty’s long and celebrated career began in 1970 as an admissions counselor. The following year, he began a 29-year stint in student life with 15 years as director of student activities and organizations, earning a doctoral degree in higher education administration along the way. He also served for 14 years as Dean of Student Development. He then turned his attention to serving Eastern graduates as associate vice president and executive director of the EKU National Alumni Association from 2000 to 2004.
Since 2004, he has served as special events coordinator in the Office of the President and the general manager of the University Club at Arlington, as well as a 3-year stint as Executive Assistant to the President. He currently serves as the executive director of the EKU Center for the Arts.
Dr. Daugherty said EKU was “definitely a school of opportunity for me.”
“I came to EKU with $300 in my pocket and was a walk-on football player-wannabe. I was welcomed with open arms and given the opportunity to succeed,” he said. “The caring and nurturing staff here during my undergraduate years allowed me to grow, make mistakes and develop into a man. Coach Roy Kidd and the other coaches I had set the example for me to follow in dealing with life and the college experience.”
He has been recognized by numerous organizations for his professional activities and community involvement, including the National Association for Campus Activities, which he served as a national vice chairman.
He was inducted into the Great Lakes Region Hall of Fame, and an endowed graduate scholarship was named in his honor. An active member of First Christian Church in Richmond, he is also a member of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, which presented him with the Community Service Award in 1988 and the Education Award in 1995. He has been recognized by the Madison County Board of Education for more than 20 years of service to Project Graduation in three local high schools. In 2007, Dr. Daugherty entered the EKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni, EKU’s highest honor for its alums. He also is a recipient of the Pattie A. Clay Auxiliary (PACA) Distinguished Member Awardand has served as chair for PACA’s annual fundraising ball on seven different occasions. In 2017, he was inducted into both the Hardin County Board of Education’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni and the North Hardin High School Athletic Hall of Fame.